Gettys Middle School students are designing prosthetic hands for the group Enabling our Future.

EASLEY — When you think of a group working on 3D-printed prosthetic hands, you probably don’t picture a class of middle school children, but that is exactly what is happening with the students at Gettys Middle School in Pickens County.

Jonathan Scrivner, a Gettys Middle School STEM teacher and instructor for Project Lead the Way, was recently contacted by the group Enabling the Future, with a request to assist them in their efforts to print prosthetic hands using 3D printers. Enabling the Future, an organization dedicated to helping the disabled, has been working with communities across the world to make prosthetics affordable or at no cost to those in need.

The students met with Enabling the Future representatives Reid Becker and Bob and Fay Choban.

“There were high fives all around as students learned how to assemble a demo-prosthetic hand that was printed using a 3D printer donated last September by Manufacturers Caring for Pickens County,” Scrivner said.

The students have access to two 3D printers that were donated by MCPC and has been creating various objects as they learn more about science, technology, engineering and mathematic projects. They are excited to create something that will have an immediate and positive impact on their community.

“This is a wonderful example of the manufacturing community of Pickens County supporting the STEM programs of the School District of Pickens County, and demonstrates the dedication of our teachers and ability of our students,” MCPC treasurer John Cutchin said.

For more information on Enabling the Future and MCPC, visit enablingthefuture.org or manufacturerscaringforpickens.com.